Wingfoot One is shown under assembly in Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake blimp base near Akron, Ohio.

Photo: Goodyear

Wingfoot One is shown under assembly in Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake...

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Wingfoot One is shown under assembly in Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake blimp base near Akron, Ohio.

Photo: Goodyear

Wingfoot One is shown under assembly in Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake...

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Wingfoot One is shown under assembly in Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake blimp base near Akron, Ohio.

Photo: Picasa, Goodyear

Wingfoot One is shown under assembly in Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake...

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Wingfoot One is shown in Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake blimp base near Akron, Ohio.

Photo: Goodyear

Wingfoot One is shown in Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake blimp base near...

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The gondola of Wingfoot One is shown inside Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake blimp base near Akron, Ohio.

Photo: Goodyear

The gondola of Wingfoot One is shown inside Goodyear's Wingfoot...

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Goodyear moves Wingfoot One from the Wingfoot Lake Hangar in preparation for its first flight on March 17, 2014.

Photo: Goodyear

Goodyear moves Wingfoot One from the Wingfoot Lake Hangar in...

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Wingfoot One prepares for its first flight on March 17, 2014.

Photo: Goodyear

Wingfoot One prepares for its first flight on March 17, 2014.

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Four Canada geese welcome Wingfoot One to the air during its first flight on March 17, 2014.

Photo: Goodyear

Four Canada geese welcome Wingfoot One to the air during its first...

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Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake Airship Hangar in Suffield, Ohio.

Photo: Goodyear

Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake Airship Hangar in Suffield, Ohio.

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More than 2,000 people gather in Goodyear's airship hangar in Suffield, Ohio for the christening of Wingfoot One on August 23, 2014.

Photo: Goodyear

More than 2,000 people gather in Goodyear's airship hangar in...

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Members of the Jackson High School marching band, from Massillon, Ohio, perform at the christening of Wingfoot One, on August 23, 2014.

Photo: Goodyear

Members of the Jackson High School marching band, from Massillon,...

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Robin Roberts boards Wingfoot One, for the ceremonial first flight after she christened the airship on August 23, 2014.

Photo: Goodyear

Robin Roberts boards Wingfoot One, for the ceremonial first flight...

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Robin Roberts waves from the gondola of Wingfoot One on August 23, 2014.

Photo: Goodyear

Robin Roberts waves from the gondola of Wingfoot One on August 23,...

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Wingfoot One flies over Goodyear's Akron headquarters.

Photo: Goodyear

Wingfoot One flies over Goodyear's Akron headquarters.

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Wingfoot One flies over Goodyear's Akron headquarters.

Photo: Goodyear

Wingfoot One flies over Goodyear's Akron headquarters.

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Wingfoot One is 246 feet long, 54 feet longer than its predecessor and just 18 yards shorter than a football field.

Photo: Goodyear

Wingfoot One is 246 feet long, 54 feet longer than its predecessor...

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Goodyear's Pilgrim, built in 1925, was the first commercial non-rigid
airship flown using helium and Goodyear's first promotional blimp. Here it is made up as the Santa Claus Express circa 1927.

Photo: Goodyear

Goodyear's Pilgrim, built in 1925, was the first commercial...

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Goodyear's Pilgrim is shown with a belly mooring, an experimental portable mast developed in 1930 to enable cross-country operations independent of permanent hangars.

Photo: Goodyear

Goodyear's Pilgrim is shown with a belly mooring, an experimental...

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With the shell of the Goodyear Airdock rising in the background, the Goodyear blimp Mayflower is christened in 1929. The ship was named after the America Cup defenders in international yachting, as were the Puritan, Volunteer, Vigilant and Defender.

Photo: Goodyear

With the shell of the Goodyear Airdock rising in the background,...

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Goodyear's original Akron-based blimp fleet launched from Wingfoot Lake on Nov. 4, 1930, and flew in formation over Akron and the Goodyear Airdock. The aerial blimp parade included the Pilgrim, Neponset, Vigilant, Mayflower, Defender and Puritan.

Photo: Goodyear

Goodyear's original Akron-based blimp fleet launched from Wingfoot...

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The newly christened Stars and Stripes stands in front of the decommissioned Stars and Stripes, middle, and the Spirit of Akron on June 18, 1998.

Photo: Jeff Glidden, AP

The newly christened Stars and Stripes stands in front of the...

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The Goodyear blimp Stars and Stripes lies behind a warehouse facility after crashing into an athletic complex near an industrial park in Coral Springs, Fla., on June 16, 2005. The two people on board were not injured.

Photo: PAUL KIZZLE, AP

The Goodyear blimp Stars and Stripes lies behind a warehouse...

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Matthew and Kristi Harrelson, with daughters Kaitlin and Kendra, pose in front of the newly christened Spirit of Innovation in 2006. Matthew Harrelson entered the name in Goodyear's first-ever Name the Blimp contest.

Photo: Goodyear

Matthew and Kristi Harrelson, with daughters Kaitlin and Kendra,...

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Spirit of America, then Goodyear's newest blimp, sits after crashing in Carson, Calif., on Dec. 4, 2003. The blimp came loose from its moorings, drifted into a parked truck and nose-dived into a fertilizer pile beside a plant nursery. There was one minor injury.

Photo: JOHN HAYES, AP

Spirit of America, then Goodyear's newest blimp, sits after...

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The Goodyear blimp Spirit of Safety, built by American Blimp Corp., crashed on June 12, 2011, near Oberursel, Germany. After the blimp caught fire on approach for landing, pilot Michael Nerandzic flew low enough so that the three passengers could jump to safety. The ensuing crash killed Nerandzic.

Photo: AFP, AFP/Getty Images

The Goodyear blimp Spirit of Safety, built by American Blimp Corp.,...

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. refers to 'Wingfoot One,' the new airship it christened Monday, as a "blimp." Technically, however, it isn't.

Put simply, blimps are big airbags with no internal structure. At the other end are rigid airships, such as the historic Zeppelins, which had full structures. "Wingfoot One" is semi-rigid, with a partial frame and pressurized envelope.

Germany's ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik built Wingfoot One, which Goodyear then assembled over the past year.

"It represents the first major structural design change of a Goodyear airship in nearly 70 years," the company said.

The new blimp features advanced on-board avionics and flight control systems with the capability to travel at faster speeds and hover in place. The spacious passenger gondola will provide an enhanced in-flight experience with sweeping, panoramic windows.

Goodyear plans to replace its two remaining GZ-20 blimps, the Spirit of America and Spirit of Innovation, with semi-rigid airships over the next four years.

In a news release, Goodyear Chairman and CEO Richard J. Kramer said:

The new blimp renews our commitment to our airship program, builds on our legacy as the leading operator of airships and continues our leadership in providing superior aerial coverage of the most watched news, sports and entertainment events.

"In 1918, my great-grandfather was recruited by Goodyear and moved his family to Akron for a better life. A number of other relatives have worked there too," Roberts said in the release. "I don't think my great-grandfather could have imagined that one of his descendants would be asked to christen the Goodyear blimp. I'm so honored."

Charlotte White, of Akron, submitted the name Wingfoot One in an online contest that drew nearly 15,000 entries.

Goodyear has built more than 300 lighter-than-air vehicles for public relations and defense purposes since 1917. It launched its first promotional blimp, the Pilgrim, in 1925.

Click through the gallery above for photos of Wingfoot One and some historic Goodyear blimps.